The present invention is directed to bar code scanners of the type used to read bar codes such as U.P.C. bar codes on package labels and more particularly to a bar code scanner of the type utilizing a plurality of self-scanning type solid photoelectric elements hereinafter referred to as charge-coupled devices (CCD).
In present-day merchandising point-of-sale operations, data pertaining to the merchandise item purchased is obtained by reading data encoded indicia such as a bar code printed on the merchandise item. In order to standardize the bar codes used in various point-of-sale readout systems, the grocery industry has adopted a Universal Product Code (UPC) which is in the form of a bar code. Various scanning systems have been constructed to read this bar code including hand held wands which are moved across the bar code and stationary optical reader systems normally located within the check-out counter in which the portion of the merchandise item containing the bar code is moved across a window, constituting the scanning area of the counter, which movement is a part of the check-out process just prior to loading the item in a bag or the like.
The stationary scanning systems presently available utilize a rotating mirror for generating a scan pattern used in reading the bar code. Examples of this type of scanning system may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,916,158, 3,995,166 and 4,057,784. Limitations of this type of scanning apparatus include tight mechanical requirements due to the high speed rotation of the mirror, which requirements limit the operating efficiency of such scanning apparatuses. In addition, this type of scanning apparatus by necessity is large in size and weight and therefore high in cost.
It is therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide an optical scanner which is compact in size and low in cost.
It is another object of this invention to provide an optical scanner which can operate without the use of a laser as a light source and can be remotely located from the data terminal associated with the scanning system.